THE MAE.TIN. 
59 
build in a flue that is used for fire, but mind the smoke so little 
that they go in and out, and put up their nests in an adjoining 
flue of the same chimney. They remain later than the barn- 
swallow, go farther north in spring, and winter beyond the limits 
of our northern continent. 
The purple martin is another bird belonging to our Western 
World, entirely diff"erent from the martin of Europe ; it is a bird 
of wide range, however, over this continent, reaching from the 
Equator to the northern fur countries. The largest of its tribe, 
it is a very bold, courageous creature, attacking even hawks and 
eagles when they come into its neighborhood ; but it is always 
very friendly and famihar with man. Mr. Wilson mentions that 
not only the white man builds his martin-house for these friends 
of his, but the negroes on the southern plantations put up long 
canes with some contrivance to invite them to build about their 
huts ; and the Indians also cut off the top branch of a sapling, 
near their wigwams, and hang a gourd or calabash on the prongs 
for their convenience. Although these birds are so common in 
most parts of the country, yet they are comparatively rare with 
us. Formerly they are said to have been more numerous, but 
at present so little are they known, that most people will tell you 
there are none about the village. On making inquiries, we found 
that many persons had never even heard their name. Bird-nesting 
hojB know nothing of them, while farmers and gardeners, by the 
half dozen, told us there were no martins about. We stopped 
before an out-building, the other day, with a martin-house in the 
gable, and asked if there were any birds in it. " There are no 
martins in this neighborhood," was the answer, adding that they 
had been seen some dozen miles off". Again, passing through a 
